PINCH MY SALT

Kelly Slater’s controversial Tahiti wild card, Outerknown’s connection to the WSL event, and the future of professional surfing lead this episode of the Pinch My Salt surf podcast. Sterling Spencer and Cousin Ryan debate whether Kelly Slater deserves the Tahiti Pro wild card, whether a sponsor should be able to put its own co-founder into a World Surf League contest, and whether the 11-time world champion can still win in heavy Tahiti barrels.

We also break down the biggest surf news, viral surfing clips, surf culture debates, and pro surfing controversies: Louis Vuitton and Pharrell bringing Mikey February, Raimana and twin-fin surfboards into high fashion; Jack Johnson getting caught riding a soft-top surfboard; Rob Machado’s effortless surfing technique and pop-up; Kai Lenny’s surf training; wave-pool airs versus real ocean surfing; surf etiquette, women getting waves, dangerous kooks, Blue Crush, Keala Kennelly, Alana Blanchard, women’s surf history, Paris Hilton surfing a wave pool, WSL judging, Griffin Colapinto, Ethan Ewing, Jack Robinson, Tom Curren, Skip Frye and the question every core surfer is asking—is surf culture dying?

This is surf comedy, surf commentary and honest surf-industry talk for fans of WSL surfing, classic surf videos, surf podcasts and core surf culture worldwide.

Did Kelly Slater earn the Tahiti wild card—or did Kelly and Outerknown find a way to give themselves a spot in the contest? Sterling and Ryan agree that surfing is better with Kelly in it, but question whether another young Tahitian or up-and-coming surfer should have received the opportunity.

The boys also discuss why professional surfing struggles to create stars, whether the WSL needs legendary surfers such as Kelly Slater, Tom Curren and Tom Carroll judging events, and why current surf contests feel disconnected from the culture that created them.

Drop your opinion in the comments:

🏄 Does Kelly deserve the Tahiti wild card?
🌊 Could Kelly Slater actually win the event?
⚖️ Should former world champions judge WSL contests?
💀 Is surf culture really dying?

Subscribe to Pinch My Salt for weekly surf news, surf comedy, viral clips, surfing history, professional surfing debates and completely unqualified relationship advice from Sterling Spencer and Cousin Ryan.

This episode contains adult humor, questionable advice and extremely serious discussions about soft-top surfboards.

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#KellySlater #Surfing #PinchMySalt

Skip Frye joins Pinch My Salt for a legendary surf conversation with Sterling Spencer and Cousin Ryan. In this episode, Skip Frye talks about 68 years of surfing, surfboard shaping, San Diego surf culture, San Onofre, Harry’s Surf Shop, longboards, fish surfboards, twin fins, eggs, nozzles, soft tops, hand-shaped surfboards, the Duke Kahanamoku Invitational, Wide World of Sports, Sunset Beach, classic surfing, surf contests, Jesus, faith, marriage, sweeping, and why surfing is an art form more than a sport.

This is a must-watch episode for surfers, longboarders, shapers, surfboard collectors, fish riders, old-school surf fans, surf history nerds, and anyone who loves real surf culture. Skip Frye shares stories about shaping, staying core, avoiding the sellout path, surfing into your 80s, the soul of surfing, and the difference between modern surf hype and timeless style.

Featuring Skip Frye, Sterling Spencer, Cousin Ryan, and the Pinch My Salt podcast.

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Mason Ho joins Pinch My Salt for a full surf podcast interview packed with wild stories, Ho family surf history, North Shore memories, Hawaii surf culture, Pipeline, Backdoor, Sunset Beach, Mark Foo, Yancy Spencer, Sterling Spencer, Michael Ho, Derek Ho, Coco Ho, and the surfing bloodlines that connect generations of surfers from Pensacola, Florida to Oahu, Hawaii.

In this episode, Mason Ho tells all — from growing up in one of surfing’s most legendary families to classic North Shore stories, old-school surf culture, funny behind-the-scenes moments, family legacy, surf comedy, and the kind of untold surf history you only hear when the conversation gets real.

Mason talks with Sterling Spencer and Cousin Ryan about the Ho family, the Spencer family, Mark Foo learning to surf in Pensacola, Hawaii surf roots, surf legends, funny surf stories, and what it was like growing up around some of the most iconic names in surfing.

If you love Mason Ho, surf podcasts, surf comedy, Hawaii surfing, Pipeline stories, North Shore legends, classic surf culture, Ho family history, Mark Foo, Sterling Spencer, Yancy Spencer, Michael Ho, Derek Ho, Coco Ho, or behind-the-scenes surfer stories, this episode is for you.

Subscribe to Pinch My Salt for more surf interviews, surf comedy, surfer stories, surf history, North Shore conversations, and episodes with the most interesting people in surfing.

Featuring Mason Ho, Sterling Spencer, and Cousin Ryan.

#MasonHo #Surfing #SurfPodcast #PinchMySalt #HoFamily #NorthShore #Pipeline #HawaiiSurfing #SurfHistory #SterlingSpencer #MarkFoo #CocoHo #MichaelHo #DerekHo #YancySpencer

Morgan Maassen joins Pinch My Salt for one of the funniest and weirdest surf stories we’ve ever heard — including the night Jeremy Flores “choked out” Sterling Spencer… while Morgan stood there trying to get the photo.

In this episode, Morgan Maassen sits down with Sterling Spencer and Ryan Spencer to talk about the golden era of surf videos, Surf Madness, Quiksilver, Billabong, Kelly Slater, Jeremy Flores, Nate Tyler, Dane Reynolds, Taj Burrow, John John Florence, surf photography, underwater shooting, and the chaos behind some of the most iconic and bizarre moments in modern surf culture.

Morgan shares how he got into surf photography, how he linked up with Sterling, what it was like working around Kelly Slater and Jeremy Flores, the strange tension between surf brands, and why the early internet surf world was full of thin skin, weird beef, and all-time comedy.

This one has everything: Jeremy Flores drama, Kelly Slater stories, Surf Madness history, Crocs surfing, Quiksilver trips, Billabong weirdness, near-drowning in Florida, and Morgan Maassen explaining how he somehow survived years of being friends with Sterling Spencer.

Featuring:
Morgan Maassen
Sterling Spencer
Ryan Spencer
Pinch My Salt Podcast

Topics:
Morgan Maassen interview
Jeremy Flores choke out story
Sterling Spencer Surf Madness
Kelly Slater surf stories
Quiksilver surf team
Billabong surf videos
Surf photography stories
Surf podcast
Funny surf stories
Surf industry drama
Surf Madness movie
Nate Tyler
Dane Reynolds
Taj Burrow
John John Florence
Core Lords Only

Subscribe for more surf comedy, surf history, pro surfer stories, and questionable life advice from Pinch My Salt.

#MorganMaassen #JeremyFlores #SterlingSpencer #PinchMySalt #KellySlater #SurfPodcast #Surfing #SurfPhotography #SurfMadness #Quiksilver #Billabong #CoreLordsOnly

The Wedge got so big surfers pulled out 9-foot guns—and Blair Conklin says it was some of the biggest surf he has seen there in his lifetime. In this episode of the Pinch My Salt podcast, Blair breaks down the historic Wedge swell at Newport Beach, why it may have been the biggest in over a decade, and how it compared to Hurricane Marie.

Blair takes Sterling Spencer and Cousin Ryan inside the chaos: two waves colliding, unpredictable takeoff zones, massive shorebreak, Hawaiian chargers, Koa Rothman, a bodyboarder throwing a double backflip, and the split-second positioning needed to catch one of California’s most dangerous waves.

The three-time United Skim Tour World Champion and legendary Vic winner also talks about growing up skimboarding in Laguna Beach and helping push skimboarding into the viral era. The conversation gets into Tfue’s skimboarding roots, Bill Bryan’s influence, monkey crawling, surfers versus skimmers, why unfinished skimboard waves still count, novelty waves, wave pools, and whether skimboarding might actually be harder than surfing. This is a full breakdown of The Wedge, modern skimboarding, surf culture, and the strange world where shorebreak specialists become some of the most entertaining athletes in action sports.

Blair also reveals what makes The Wedge so difficult when it gets this big, who dominated the historic swell, and why positioning at the exact point where two waves collide can be both terrifying and nearly impossible.

PLUS:

Laird Hamilton’s legendary Malibu Pier shoot
Tfue before he became a gaming superstar
The truth about surfers versus skimboarders
Why skimboarding clips go viral
Bill Bryan’s influence on modern skimboarding
The monkey crawl comeback
Big-wave boards at The Wedge
Koa Rothman charging California
The future of skimboarding and novelty waves
Why skimmers apparently don’t have to land anything

Was this the biggest Wedge swell since Hurricane Marie? Let us know in the comments.

LIKE, COMMENT and SUBSCRIBE to become a certified Pincher.

Pinch My Salt is a comedy surf podcast hosted by professional surfer Sterling Spencer and Cousin Ryan, covering surfing, skimboarding, surf culture, professional surfers, viral surf clips and everything happening in the strange world of action sports.

#BlairConklin #TheWedge #Skimboarding

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